Casino draw poker game

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a table based version of draw poker that allows the dealer and/or the player to draw a card. After seeing his or her cards, the player can choose a card from the player&#39;s hand to replace or the player can choose to keep all of the cards. The dealer may also choose a card to replace from the dealer&#39;s hand or can choose to keep all of the cards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a method for implementing a wagering game in a casino. More particularly, the present invention relates to implementing a table poker game against a dealer wherein the player and/or dealer is allowed to draw a card.

2. Description of the Related Art

Casino table poker games (as opposed to “poker room” games) are highly popular. These games give players the excitement of playing poker, but without the intimidation factor that exists when players play poker in a poker room against one another.

One example of a casino poker game is 3-card poker. A disadvantage of this game is that the game does not allow players (or the dealer) to improve their hand. Player's are stuck with the hand they are dealt.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,279 to Moody discloses a poker game where the player has an opportunity to draw. However, the dealer is not able to draw a card.

What is needed is a new variety of poker which some players may find more attractive by allowing the players to improve their hand, and allowing the dealer to improve his or her hand as well to offset the player being allowed to draw.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an improvement in casino floor table poker games.

The above aspects can be obtained by a method that includes (a) receiving an ante wager from a player; (b) dealing a player's hand and a dealer's hand; (c) allowing the player to place a raise wager or fold; (d) if the player raises, allowing the player to replace one or more cards in the player's hand and (d) accounting for the ante wager and the raise wager.

The above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) dealing a dealer's hand; (b) dealing a player's hand; (c) allowing the player to replace one or more cards from the player's hand; (d) if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, then paying the player.

The above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) dealing a dealer's hand; (b) dealing a player's hand; (c) allowing the dealer to replace one or more cards from the dealer's hand; (d) if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, then paying the player.

These together with other aspects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of implementing the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of a table layout, according to an embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

The present invention relates to a table poker game wherein a player and/or a dealer can replace a card in their hand of their choosing. To allow the player to replace a card will give the player the ability to make better hands and provide him or her with more excitement. The player may like all of his or her cards and not wish to replace any. Optionally, the dealer can also have the option to replace a selected card. The dealer typically chooses which of his or her cards (or none at all) to replace by a set “house way.” Of course the odds/payouts for the game should be adjusted accordingly to accommodate for the opportunity for the player to replace a card.

Table I illustrates a first set of rules in an embodiment of the present invention. TABLE I 1. The game is played with an ordinary single 52-card deck. All cards as scored as in poker. 2. Hands shall be scored as follows from lowest to highest: Ace high or less, pair, flush, straight, three of a kind, straight flush. 3. Ace, 2, 3 is the lowest possible straight. 4. The game shall start with the player making an ante wager. 5. Each player and dealer shall receive three cards face down. The player may look at his own cards but sharing of information is not allowed. 6. The player must decide to raise or fold. If the player folds then he forfeits his ante bet and turns in his cards. If the player raises then he must make a raise bet equal to exactly two times his ante bet. 7. The dealer shall then examine his cards. If the dealer has less than a jack high then the dealer will fold. If the dealer folds the ante bet shall pay even money and the raise will push. 8. If the dealer does have a jack high or higher then the player may discard one of his three cards for the next card in the deck. The player may also stand pat with his original three cards. 9. The dealer shall then have the option to discard one card or none at all according the house way explained later. 10. The player and dealer shall compare hands, the highest hand wins. 11. If the dealer has the higher hand the ante and raise shall lose. 12. If the dealer and player have the exact same valued hand then the ante and raise shall push. 13. If the player has the higher hand then the ante shall pay 1 to 1 and the raise according to table II.

Table II illustrates a paytable for payouts on the raise bet, for the rules in Table I. Of course, this is just one example of payouts, other configurations of paytables can be used as well. TABLE II Hand Pays Ace high or less Push Pair 1 to 2 Flush 1 to 1 Straight 2 to 1 Three of a kind 5 to 1 Straight flush 6 to 1

Table III illustrates one example of how the dealer shall play his hand, for use with Tables I and II. If more than one rule fits then the dealer should follow the highest (lowest numbered) listed rule. TABLE III 1. With a flush or higher stand pat. 2. With a pair discard the singleton. 3. Draw to a possible straight flush. 4. With an ace high discard the lowest card except if (a) the lowest card is suited with the ace; or (b) an ace/2/3 straight is possible and the second highest card is unsuited to the ace and is jack or less. 5. Draw to a possible flush. 6. Draw to a possible outside straight. 7. Draw to a possible inside straight. 8. Discard lowest card.

Table IV shows all possible outcomes, the number of possible combinations, the probability, and contribution to the total return, using the rules and payouts form Tables I, II and III. TABLE IV Event Pays Combinations Probability Return Player loses −3 305,906,094,144 0.362946 −1.088837 Player ties 0    593,383,728 0.000704   0.000000 Dealer folds 1 157,707,421,200 0.187114   0.187114 Player folds −1  90,615,127,680 0.107511 −0.107511 Player wins with 1  60,484,391,832 0.071762   0.071762 nothing Player wins with 2  98,647,818,996 0.117042   0.234084 pair Player wins with 3  69,380,262,696 0.082317   0.246951 flush Player wins with 5  49,468,472,208 0.058692   0.293462 straight Player wins with 3 11  6,086,980,128 0.007222   0.079442 of a kind Player wins with 13  3,952,775,388 0.004690   0.060968 st flush Total 842,842,728,000 1.000000 −0.022566

The lower right cell in Table IV shows a return of −2.26%, or a house edge of 2.26%. This is defined as the expected player loss to the initial wager. The player will raise 89.25% of the time, resulting in an average wager of 2.78 units. The ratio of expected player loss to total wager, what I define as the “element of risk”, is 0.81%.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of implementing the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The method begins with operation 100, wherein the player makes an ante wager.

The method then proceeds to operation 102, wherein the dealer deals the dealer's hand and the player's hand.

The method then proceeds to operation 104, wherein the player decides to raise or fold. Typically, the player makes this decision based on his or her hand.

If in operation 104 the player decides to fold, then the method proceeds to operation 108 wherein the player loses his or her ante bet.

If in operation 104, the player decides to raise, then the player makes a raise bet. The allowed raise bet can be a predetermined multiple of the ante wager (e.g. 1×, 2×, 3×, etc.) From the rule set in Table I, the raise bet should be twice the ante bet. Thus, the player must bet double his or her ante bet if the player wishes to raise. The method can then proceed to operation 106, wherein the dealer then checks to see if the dealer qualifies. Typically, the dealer should have a predetermined hand or higher to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify, then the method proceeds to operation 110, wherein the player wins even money on the ante bet but pushes on the raise bet.

If in operation 106, the dealer qualifies, then the method proceeds to operation 112, wherein the player can replace a card. Typically, the player can select a card he or she wishes to replace. The player may also wish to keep all of the player's cards. The player may also be allowed to replace more than one card. The dealer will deal new card(s) to replace cards the player selected to replace.

From operation 112, the method proceeds to operation 114, wherein the dealer can replace a card. The dealer can follow a set house way for deciding how to play the hand (whether to discard and which card(s) to discard). Typically, there should be no discretion on the part of the dealer himself or herself. How to play the hand should be according to a predetermined strategy.

From operation 114, the method proceeds to a series of operations which account for the wagers.

In operation 116, if the dealer has the highest hand, then the method proceeds to operation 118, wherein the player loses the ante bet and the raise bet.

In operation 120, if the player and dealer tie, then the method proceeds to operation 122, wherein the ante bet and raise bet push.

If the player ends up having the higher hand, then the method proceeds to operation 124, wherein the player wins even money on the ante bet and wins a payout on the raise bet according to a paytable.

It is further noted that the operations in FIG. 2 can be performed in any sensible order. For example, operation 114 can come before operation 112 (the dealer can draw before the player draws).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of a table layout, according to an embodiment.

A casino table 210 is used to play the game. The table layout can accommodate a dealer and any reasonable number of players (e.g. 1-10). For simplicity, the table 210 in FIG. 2 only shows two players.

A dealer's hand 200 comprises three cards (although other numbers of cards can be used). A first player's hand 206 also comprises three cards (although other numbers of cards can be used). The first player's ante betting circle 202 is used to place the first player's ante wager in operation 100. The first players raise betting circle 204 is used to player the first player's raise wager in operation 104.

Also shown are the second player hand 212, the second player's ante betting circle 208, and the second player's raise betting circle 210.

It is also noted that any and/or all of the above embodiments, configurations, variations of the present invention described above can mixed and matched and used in any combination with one another. Any claim herein can be combined with any others (unless the results are nonsensical).

Moreover, any description of a component or embodiment herein also includes hardware, software, and configurations which already exist in the prior art and may be necessary to the operation of such component(s) or embodiment(s).

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

1. A method of playing a casino table game, comprising: receiving an ante wager from a player; dealing a player's hand and a dealer's hand; allowing the player to place a raise wager or fold; allowing the dealer to replace one or more cards in the dealer's hand; and accounting for the ante wager and the raise wager.
 2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, if the player raises, allowing the player to replace on or more cards in the player's hand, before the allowing the dealer to replace one or more cards.
 3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the accounting comprises, if the dealer's hand does not qualify, then paying the ante wager even money and pushing the raise wager.
 4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the accounting further comprises: if the dealer's hand qualifies, and if the dealer's hand beats the player's hand, then the player loses the ante wager and the raise wager.
 5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the accounting further comprises: if the dealer's hand qualifies, and if the dealer's hand ties the player's hand, then the ante wager and the raise wager both push.
 6. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the accounting further comprises: if the dealer's hand qualifies, then if the dealer's hand ties the player's hand, then the ante wager and the raise wager both push.
 7. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the accounting further comprises: if the dealer's hand qualifies, if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, then the player wins the ante wager and the raise wager.
 8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the ante wager wins even money.
 9. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the raise wager is paid according to a paytable.
 10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the raise wager is paid according to a paytable.
 11. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the raise wager is paid according to the following paytable: Hand Pays Ace high or less Push Pair 1 to 2 Flush 1 to 1 Straight 2 to 1 Three of a kind 5 to 1 Straight flush 6 to 1 Hand Pays Ace high or less Push


12. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the player can replace none or 1 card.
 13. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the dealer can replace none or 1 card.
 14. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dealer plays the dealer's hand according to a predetermined way.
 15. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the dealer plays the dealer's hand according to a predetermined way.
 16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the predetermined way comprises following the highest of the following: With a flush or higher stand pat. With a pair discard the singleton. Draw to a possible straight flush With an ace high discard the lowest card except if (a) the lowest card is suited with the ace; or (b) an ace/2/3 straight is possible and the second highest card is unsuited to the ace and is jack or less. Draw to a possible flush. Draw to a possible outside straight. Draw to a possible inside straight. Discard lowest card.
 17. A method of playing a casino table game as recited in claim 2, wherein the accounting comprises: if the dealer's hand does not qualify, then paying the ante wager even money and pushing the raise wager; if the dealer's hand does qualify, then: if the dealer's hand beats the player's hand, then taking the player loses the ante wager and the raise wager; if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, then the player wins even money on the ante wager and wins a paytable payout on the raise wager.
 18. A method of playing a casino table game as recited in claim 2, wherein the accounting comprises: if the dealer's hand beats the player's hand, then taking the player loses the ante wager and the raise wager; if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, then the player wins even money on the ante wager and wins a paytable payout on the raise wager.
 19. A method of playing a casino table game, comprising: dealing a dealer's hand; dealing a player's hand; allowing the dealer to replace one or more cards from the dealer's hand; if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, then paying the player.
 20. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising, before the paying, allowing the player to replace one or more cards in the player's hand.
 21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the paying the player pays the player an amount according to the player's hand and a paytable.
 22. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein the paying the player pays the player an amount according to the player's hand and a paytable.
 23. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the player is paid according to the paytable if the dealer's hand qualifies.
 24. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the player is paid according to the paytable if the dealer's hand qualifies. 